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X5 Complete User Manual

Foreword:

Thank you for purchasing FiiO’s X5, our 192kHz/24bit high resolution

lossless music player. To let you better utilize the X5, we have prepared this

complete user manual and collected and answered some frequently asked

questions by users. We hope that this manual will help you get to know the

X5 and unleash its full potential.

A.Introduction

B.Buttons and ports introduced

C.Firmware update

D.Pictorial guide to menu operation

E.Menu operation

F.USB DAC function

Preparation before installing USB DAC driver

USB DAC driver installation procedure

Usage as USB DAC

G.Tips on usage

H.FAQ on the X5

1) About charging

2) Transferring songs

3) Firmware upgrades

4) Storage

5) Music playback

6) Other operations

7) Connection with other audio equipment

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3-5

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6-7

7-12

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12-13

13-15

16

16-17

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18

19

20

20-21

22-23

23-24

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Contents

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121516 ① 12

⑩

Charging indicator

⑦

1113 14

Volume +

⑨

Line Out

Volume –

⑨

④

Next/next song/

fast forward

⑧

⑤

Screen

②

⑥

Shortcuts /

main menu

③

A. IntroductionThe X5 is a HiFi-class high resolution digital audio player, supporting lossy and

lossless music formats including MP2、MP3、WAV、WMA、APE、FLAC、AAC，

ALAC、OGG、AIFF. A maximum sample rate of 192kHz/24bit is supported and

gapless playback are also supported. Moreover, the X5 also functions as a USB

DAC. The following sections are an illustrated guide to using the X5.

Data/charging USB port

Headphone out Reset button Power / Lock key

Coaxial digital out

(upgrade firmware via this slot)

TF 1 Slot TF 2 Slot

Play/Pause/OK/Confirm

(press and hold to show

volume control dial)

Previous/previous

song/rewind

Back / main menu

(press briefly to go

back up one menu

level.

press and hold to

return to main menu.

(rotates 360º)

Scroll wheel:

item selection

B. Buttons and ports introduced

1)Power/Lock button: When the unit is powered off, hold the button for two

seconds and release it and the X5 will power on (after a brief pause); when the

unit is on, press the button briefly to lock / unlock the player, or hold the button

for three seconds to power off (hold for ten seconds for a forced shutdown).

2)Display (262k color IPS display, 400x360 pixels): Displays the user interface

and other information; for operating the unit in conjunction with buttons on

the unit.

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3)Shortcuts key / main menu: Press briefly to show / hide shortcuts context

menu; hold to return to main menu (or Now Playing screen if music is playing).

4)Back / main menu: Press briefly to go back up one menu level; hold to

return to main menu.

5)Scroll wheel: Freely rotatable, turn the wheel clockwise to scroll down / right,

choose the next item on the menu or adjust the level / value / choice etc. for the

selected menu item; turn the wheel counter-clockwise to scroll up / left, choose

the previous item on the menu or adjust the level / value / choice etc. for the

selected menu item in the other direction.

6)OK / Play / Pause:

In “Now Playing” screen: press briefly to play / pause;

In menus: press briefly to enter the submenu of the selected item, adjust the

level / value / choice of the selected item (using the scroll wheel for items with

numerical value or many choices, or alternating between choices using the OK

button directly for other items);

In other dialogs: press briefly to confirm actions (press other buttons to cancel);

Volume control: Hold down this button at any time to pop up the volume

control dialog and adjust the volume using the scroll wheel.

7)Previous song / up:

In “Now Playing” screen: press briefly to select the previous song for playback,

hold down to rewind the current song;

In menus: press briefly to choose the previous item on menus.

8)Next song / down:

In “Now Playing” screen: press briefly to select the next song for playback,

hold down to fast-forward the current song;

In menus: press briefly to choose the next item on menus.

9)Volume “+”/“-” buttons: press briefly to change volume by one

increment, hold down to change volume continuously until the maximum

volume (“+” button) is reached or the player is muted (“-” button)

10)Charging indicator: red while charging, green when fully charged.

11)USB data / charging port: for data exchange, battery charging, USB audio

connection (when acting as USB DAC), USB OTG storage expansion.

12)TF / Micro SD card slots: Dual TF card slots, each supporting TF cards up

to 128GB.

13)Line out port: 3.5mm analog audio line out port for connection to other

amplifiers, such as the FiiO E12.

14)Coaxial output: 3.5mm coaxial digital audio output port, for connection to

equipment with coaxial digital inputs. Headphone and line out ports will be

muted when the coaxial port is connected.

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15)RESET button: Push this button with a thin rod to reset and reboot the X5 in

case of system error.

16)Headphone port: 3.5mm stereo headphone output port. Recommended

headphone impedance: 16-300Ω.

C. Firmware update

updating... update success

Firmware updates may update the player with new features and optimize the

playback experience; if you are satisfied with the current firmware, it is not

necessary to upgrade it. The unit supports firmware upgrades via update files

loaded into TF cards.

To check the current firmware version:

From the main menu, navigate to System Settings->About X5 to see the

current firmware version loaded on your X5.

•The TF card for use in firmware upgrades should be a card of in FAT32 format. If

the upgrade failed, try to use a blank card under 32GB.

•The firmware update process does not affect data stored on the TF card;

however, if formatting to FAT32 (eg by formatting the card in the X5) is required,

this deletes all data on the card.

•Make sure the X5 is adequately charged (preferably fully charged) for the update

process to prevent power failure during the update;

•Do not operate other buttons and dials on the player during the update process.

•Please update the library after the upgrade.

Summary of TF card upgrade procedure:

1.Copy the x5.fw file provided by FiiO into the root directory of a TF card in

FAT32 format;

2.Turn off the X5 and insert the TF card into slot 1 of the X5;

3.Hold the power button while holding the Shortcuts key (upper left key of the

X keygroup) to turn on the X5 in firmware update mode. The following firmware

update dialogs will appear and after the update is complete, the player will

restart automatically.

●After the update process is complete, please delete the x5.fw file from the TF

card and update the media library.

Improper operation during firmware updates may cause

the unit to malfunction! Please read the following instructions for firmware

updates carefully before proceeding.

Notes and precautions before firmware update:

Firmware update in progress Update successful

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(no submenu)

Adjust directly using

Prev/Next/OK keys

(with submenu)

Press OK and adjust

using scroll wheel

Prev/Next keys:change preset Scroll wheel to move between EQ bands, OK to choose EQ band, scroll wheel to adjust level of chosen EQ band, OK to store changes Back button to set preset

Turn scroll wheel to

choose directory / song,

OK to select

Press Previous / Next

button at any time to

switch between TF1, TF2

and OTG drives

Shortcuts key shows/

hides shortcuts

context menu; navigate

and select shortcuts

menu items using scroll

wheel and OK key

Shortcuts key to start

adding/removing songs

from favorites, scroll

wheel to choose song,

Previous/Next keys to

favorite/unfavorite song,

OK to store changes

After media library

update, songs sorted

into albums, artists,

genres; playlists may be

added manually

(no submenu)

Adjust directly using

Prev/Next/OK keys

(with submenu)

Press OK and adjust

using scroll wheel

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D.Pictorial guide to menu operation

Buttons and dial explained:

Scroll wheel: scrolls through menu items,

changes value of selected item

OK / Confirm / Play / Pause:

Enters next menu level, selects item

for adjustment, stores changes

Shortcuts key:

shows / hides shortcuts context menu

Back button: go back up one menu level

Previous / up | Next / down:

moves through menu items, changes

value of selected item (stepwise)

Status bar:

1.Current volume

2.Current volume gain level

3.Name of current

menu/display

4.Sleep timer is set

5.TF card(s) currently selected

6.Now playing

7.Battery level indicator

All songs

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DAC Interface:

USB DAC Playing interface USB DAC Settings interface

Press the back

key to switch

X5’s USB DAC requires installation of dedicated drivers. Please refer to Section

F: USB DAC for detailed instructions.

If the USB mode is changed from DAC to Storage or vice versa while the USB

cable is plugged in, the USB cable must be disconnected and reconnected for

the X5 to be recognized in the new mode;

When the X5 is connected to the computer in DAC mode, the DAC Playing

interface is displayed by default. Pressing the back key switches between the

DAC Playing and DAC Settings interface; holding down the back key sends the

X5 back to the main menu and stops the USB DAC function.

Powering on and off

Hold down the power button for two seconds and release it to turn on the X5

(language selection dialog would appear the first time the X5 is powered on);

While the X5 is powered on, hold down the power button for 3 seconds to turn

off the player.

The X5 enters the main menu after it is powered on; use the scroll wheel or the

Previous and Next buttons to choose between Now Playing, Favorites, Play by

Category, Browse Files, System Settings and Play Settings; press the Shortcuts

key to enter Play Settings directly.

Now Playing

While in the main menu, turn the scroll wheel to choose Now Playing and press

OK. If no song is currently playing you will be shown a list of songs to choose

from*. Use the scroll wheel and OK button to select a song and enter the Now

Playing interface. *Note: songs list only appears after you have updated the

media library.

E. Menu operation

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a）Press the Shortcuts key briefly to pop up the shortcuts context menu; turn

the scroll wheel or press the Previous or Next key to choose between shortcut

menu items and press OK to apply the action, such as adding or removing the

song from Favorites, add to new or existing playlist, changing play order or

deleting the songs.

b）Turn the scroll wheel in the Now Playing screen to pop up a list of songs

before and after the current playing song. Turn the scroll wheel to choose

between songs, press OK to select and start playing the new song.

Play by Category

While in the main menu, turn the scroll wheel to choose Play by Category and

press OK. You will be asked to choose between showing all songs, or showing

a list of albums, artists or genres. Turn the scroll wheel or press the Previous

and Next buttons to choose between the above and press OK to enter the

chosen categorized listing. You may press the Shortcuts key at any time

within these listings to switch to another category view.

External M3U / M3U8 playlists and internal playlists are supported. The

method of external playlist creation is detailed on

http://fiio.me/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=40017

To create internal playlists and add songs to internal playlists: while playing a

song, go to the Now Playing screen and press the Shortcuts key and choose

the [+] icon and press OK. Follow the onscreen prompts to create a new

playlist or add the current song to an existing playlist.

Playlists can be accessed in the Play by Category menu.

With the list of playlists displayed, pressing the Shortcuts key shows the option

to delete playlists. If this option is selected, you press the Previous / Next key

to select a playlist for deletion and press OK to confirm deletion.

With the list on songs within a playlist displayed, pressing the Shortcuts key

shows the option to delete individual songs from the playlist.

Favorites

Add or remove favorites by

- The Favorite button in the shortcuts context menu in the Now Playing screen

(to add/ remove the current song from the list); or

- Entering Favorites from the main menu. Press the Shortcuts key to batch add

or remove songs (press OK to select and enter the songs list); use the scroll

wheel to select a song, Previous or Next to add/remove a song from the list,

and finally press OK to save changes.

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Play settings

Turn the scroll wheel to choose between menu items and use the Previous, Next

or OK key to choose between options on the chosen menu item. On items with

a submenu (indicated by “>”), press OK to enter the submenu.

a）Play mode

Four play modes are available: sequential (plays to the end of the list and stops),

loop all, loop single song and shuffle.

b）Resume mode

Controls where the X5 starts playing from when it is switched off and switched

back on.

Off: no memory of the last song played when X5 is switched off.

Last song: resumes playback from the start of the last song played when the

X5 was switched off.

Last position: resumes playback from the last position on the timeline of the

last song played when the X5 was switched off.

c）Gapless playback

Turn this on to play e.g. a live performance divided into several tracks without

breaks in between tracks.

d）Max volume

To protect your headphones and your hearing, the max volume can be limited

to a value between 30 and 120 (unlimited maximum is 120). Press OK to show

the adjustment submenu, turn the scroll wheel to adjust the limit value and

press OK to store the change.

e）Power on volume

Last setting: recalls the volume set when the player was powered off.

Fixed: always powers on the player at the volume defined in “Fixed volume

setting”.

Fixed volume setting: adjustable only when “Power on volume” is set to

“Fixed”. Press OK to show the adjustment submenu, turn the scroll wheel to

change the power-on volume setting and press OK again to store the change.

f）Gain

Gain

Switchable between low and high, which correspond roughly to 0dB and 6dB

gain respectively.

g）Balance

Press OK to adjust balance with scroll wheel (press OK to store change). The

adjustment range is between +5dB to left channel and +5dB to right channel.

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System settings

a）Language

Press OK and use the scroll wheel or Previous / Next buttons to choose

between English, Japanese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, traditional

Chinese and Simplified Chinese. Press OK to store change or Back to cancel.

The language setting is memorized even when the device is powered off or

reset.

b）Update media lib

Update media lib

Press the Previous and Next keys to choose between:

Manual: updates the media library only when you press OK on

“Update media lib”;

Auto: updates the media library automatically each time after the X5 was

connected to a computer as mass storage.

Note: do not press any button or turn the scroll wheel during a library update.

c）Key-lock settings

Press OK to enter the key-lock setting submenu and choose between lockscreen

modes 1, 2 and 3 using the scroll wheel. As shown by the corresponding

illustrations onscreen: lockscreen mode 1 locks all keys except the power / lock

button and the volume buttons while the player is locked; in lockscreen mode 2,

the power / lock button, volume buttons and OK (Pause) buttons are usable

while the player is locked; while in mode 3, the volume keys, OK (Pause),

Previous and Next buttons as well as the power / lock button are usable while

the player is locked. Note: when the player is locked, press a volume button

briefly to change volume, or hold a volume button to go to the previous /

next track.

d）Screen timeout

The player turns off the screen and locks the keys automatically after the set

delay when no buttons have been pressed and the scroll wheel hasn’t been

turned. The set delay can be set between 30s, 40s, 50, 60s, 90s, 120 and never

(always on)

e）Backlight brightness

Press OK to adjust the brightness (adjustable in 10 steps) using the scroll wheel

and press OK again to store the change.

f）Idle poweroff

When this is set to on, the player will turn itself off after the set time when no

music is playing and the user does not press any buttons on the player.

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Idle poweroff time

When “Idle poweroff” is set to on, you may press OK to adjust the amount of

idle time detected before the player shuts off. The set time is adjustable from

1 to 8 minutes. Turn the scroll wheel to adjust the set time and press OK to

store the change.

g）Sleep

When this is set to on, the player will turn itself off after the set time while

music is playing.

Sleep timer

When “Sleep” is set to on, you may press OK to adjust the amount of play

time before the player shuts off. The set time is adjustable from 10 to 120

minutes. Turn the scroll wheel to adjust the set time and press OK to store the

change.

h）USB mode

Two choices are available:

Storage: when the X5 is connected to a computer via USB, allows access to TF

cards inserted into the player like a card reader, for transferring songs. The

cards will appear as computer drives. You can drag and drop, copy or delete

songs and create directories to store songs.

DAC: when the X5 is connected to a computer via USB, the X5 acts as a USB

audio device and the DAC interface is shown. (driver installation and required;

refer to Section F. USB DAC function for details)

i）About X5

Displays the name and model of the player, total and available capacities of TF

cards inserted into the player, the total number of songs on the player, the

firmware version as well as the serial number of the player. Turn the scroll

wheel clockwise to read our copyright declaration and then the quick start

guide to the X5.

j）Format

Press OK to select a TF card slot for formatting into FAT32 format for use with

the X5.

k）Reset factory defaults

Resets all settings to factory defaults. Also useful for recovering from any system

malfunctions.

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Preparation before installing USB DAC driver

USB DAC driver installation on the computer is required before using the X5 as

a USB DAC with it. Things to prepare before installing the USB DAC driver:

•the computer

•USB cable to connect the computer and the X5 (provided in the X5 package)

•The USB DAC driver (to be downloaded from the FiiO website

(https://www.dropbox.com/s/3kqjgvzu4nuvid2/Driver%20for%20X5%20USB_

DAC.zip)

Equalizer

There are several preset equalizer settings as well as a custom setting available.

Press the previous and next keys to switch between presets (Normal, Rock,

Classical, Jazz, Pop, Dance, Vocal, Blues and Metal) or select the Custom setting.

When the Custom setting is selected, turn the scroll wheel to choose between

different frequency bands, press OK to select a frequency band for editing and

turn the scroll wheel to adjust the frequency band up or down, and then press

OK to store the change and use the scroll wheel to choose another frequency

band for editing. Press the back button at any time to exit from equalizer

settings back into the main menu.

Browse Files

Select this to enter the songs browsing interface (browsing by folders and

filenames). If no cards or OTG storage is inserted into the X5, a “TF card not

found” prompt will be shown. Otherwise:

First the icons for TF slot 1 and 2 and the OTG external storage will appear. If a

card is inserted into the slot or OTG external storage is connected, the

corresponding icon will be selectable; otherwise the icon will be greyed out.

Turn the scroll wheel to select a TF card slot or the OTG external storage and

press OK to browse the music files contained therein. Songs will be displayed

with the icon on the left while folders will be displayed with the icon on the

left. Turn the scroll wheel to select between items, press OK on a song to play it

or press OK on a folder to enter the folder. Press the back button to go back up

one folder level or hold down the back button to return to the main menu.

At any time while browsing within the directories of a TF card / OTG device, you

may quickly switch to another TF card / OTG device by pressing the Shortcuts

key. The drive selection prompt will show again, allowing you to select another

drive.

*Owing to compatibility issues of the USB interface used, only a limited number

of models of USB storage devices are supported for use as the OTG device.

F. USB DAC function

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Precautions

1.For desktop computers, connect the X5 to a USB port on the rear of the case,

not the front. This is because front USB ports on desktop computers are

connected to the motherboard via long unshielded cables. As a result, front USB

ports have low power output, low transfer speeds and are prone to electrical

interference, degrading sound quality or causing crackling / dropouts.

2.When the X5 is decoding 192kHz/24bit audio via USB, the required data

throughput is huge. A high quality USB cable, with low signal loss and good

shielding, is required. Please use the original USB cable provided with the X5 if

possible. If you need to purchase another cable, please do not buy generic USB

cables (including cables provided with most smartphones), but buy USB-to-

micro-USB cables from a reputable brand supporting the USB2.0 standard.

3.If the X5 doesn't work as a USB DAC after installation of the driver, please try

rebooting the computer.

4.With Windows XP computers, the X5 will not enter the DAC interface before

installation of the driver. This is normal. You may proceed with installing the

driver normally.

5.Known issue: the driver will fail to install on Windows 8 64bit computers. This

is related to the driver signature module. The driver has not been signed for

Windows 8 64bit and will not work while driver signature enforcement is in

effect. Please disable driver signature enforcement as follows:

Mouse over upper right corner of screen->settings->

Change PC settings->General->Advanced->start-up->Restart now->

Troubleshoot->Advanced options->Start-up Settings->Restart

After such a restart, the computer will be able to install unsigned drivers, but

give a warning when this happens (as is the case with installation in XP, Vista,

Windows 7), just click “Install anyway” to proceed.

Please refer to this video for a walkthrough of the process:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM1MN8QZhnk

USB DAC driver installation procedure (using Windows 7 as example)

1.Set the X5’s USB mode to DAC (main menu->System settings->USB mode)

2.Connect the X5 to a USB port on the computer using the provided USB cable

(for desktop computers, a direct connection to a USB port on the back of the

case is recommended);

Double-click setup.exe in the provided USB DAC driver package and the

following dialog appears:

Click Install to install the driver to the default location

While the installation is proceeding, the following warning dialog will pop up

more than once (usually twice). Select “install this driver software anyway”

each time the dialog pops up:

Click Next

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The following dialog will appear indicating a successful installation; click Next to

continue.

Click Finish to complete installation. The following icon should appear in the

bottom right corner of the screen:

After the driver is installed, go to Control Panel->Hardware and Sound->

Sound and set “FiiO X5” as the default Playback audio device to play audio

from the computer through the X5.

FiiO X5

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Usage as USB DAC

When the X5’s USB mode is set to DAC, it enters the DAC Playing interface

when connected to a computer via USB.

Back key: press briefly to enter DAC Settings interface, press again to return to

the DAC Playing interface. Hold to exit USB DAC mode and return to the main

menu.

OK button: hold down to show the volume control dial, turn the scroll wheel to

change the volume.

Please note that to have your computer play songs through the DAC, you have

to make it the default playing device. This can be set in the sound control panel

in Windows or the System Preferences/Sound on the Mac.

G. Tips on usage

This section contains some useful tips for you to get the most out of your X5.

1)Media library update

It is recommended to set this to Auto, so that the X5 will update the media

library after each time you connect it to the PC. If an update hangs on a song

and will not continue (the number does not change), eject the TF card(s) to stop

the update, clear the database by updating without cards inserted, insert the TF

card(s) again and update again.

2)How to play your favourite songs quickly

Go to the Favorites menu to add a batch of your favorite songs (or favorite

individual songs as they are played in the Now Playing screen) and then enter

the favorites menu to enjoy all your favorite songs. The X5 supports addition

and removal of songs defined in .cue files as well for your enjoyment of lossless

rips of CD/DVD/etc.

3)How to quickly cut over to the song you want to listen to

Turn the scroll wheel in the Now Playing screen to pop up a list of songs before

and after the current playing song. Turn the scroll wheel to choose between

songs, press OK to select and start playing the new song.

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5)Turn on Resume mode to get back on the groove quickly

Under Play Settings, Resume mode controls the playback behaviour of the X5

when you turn it back on. Setting this to Last Song allows the player to start

playing again from the last song before the X5 was powered off while Last

Position even remembers where you were up to in the track you were playing.

6)How to set the Gain and realize gapless playback function

When using different headphones and earphones, the gain level may need to be

changed. For most earphones and efficient, low impedance headphones, we

recommend using low gain; for high impedance and / or low-sensitivity

headphones, we recommend using high gain.

Gapless playback means going from one music file to the next without a pause

in between. Enable gapless playback on the X5 by entering Play settings from

the main menu and setting the Gapless playback option to On. (Note: gapless

playback is not supported in shuffle and loop-single-song modes.)

4)Adjusting the volume easily

While the screen is on, the volume control dialog will appear anytime the

volume up/down buttons are pressed or the OK buttons is held for one second.

When the volume control dialog appears you may adjust the volume stepwise

using the volume buttons or use the scroll wheel to change volume quickly. If

you would like to be able to change volume while the player is locked, set

Key-lock Settings (in System Settings) to Lockscreen 2 to keep the volume

buttons unlocked while the player is locked.

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H. FAQ on the X5

1)About chargingQ:What power sources may be used to charge the X5?

A:The X5 may be charged by any USB charger with 5V output voltage and 1.5A

or greater output current; in a pinch you can also charge it using a computer

USB port, albeit slowly.

Q:What is the charging current of the X5 while charging?

A:About 470mA through a computer USB port or 1.3A through a dedicated USB

charger (while unit is powered off).

Q:How long does it take to charge up the X5?

A:A full charge through a dedicated USB charger (DC 5V, 2A) takes about 4 hours.

Q:Can the X5 be charged by a portable USB charger?

A:Yes, as long as the charger is capable of 1.5A or greater current.

Q:Can the X5 play songs while charging?

A:Yes, but it is recommended to power off the X5 for charging, to prevent the

charge from taking too long and prevent the X5 from heating up too much.

Q:Can the X5 be connected to chargers via other micro USB cables?

A:Yes, but the micro USB cable that comes with the X5 is specially constructed

with thick power line conductors to minimize power loss while charging. Using

other micro USB cables may lead to slower charging; very poor quality USB

cables may cause so much power loss through the cable as to fail to charge the

X5 altogether.

Q:Why does the X5 charge so slowly or not at all through a front USB port

on a desktop computer?

A:The front USB ports on a desktop computer are connected to the

motherboard through long thin cables, which cause too much voltage drop

when connected to high current draw equipment like the X5.

Q:How to judge the X5’s charging status?

A:Below the scroll wheel, there is a charging indicator LED, which lights up red

while charging and green when fully charged. The battery level of the onscreen

battery gauge (on the upper right corner while the player is on, or taking up the

whole screen if the player is off) moves to indicate battery charging.

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2)Transferring songsQ:What operating systems does the X5 support (for transferring songs)?

A:In Storage mode, the X5 operates as a USB Mass Storage class device and is

supported by all OSes that support USB Mass Storage. This includes 32bit and

64bit Windows XP, Windows 7 and 8*, as well as Mac OS 9, X, and most versions

of Linux and Unix.

Q:What USB ports are the X5 compatible with?

A:The X5 is compatible with USB 2.0 (and all later standards that are backwards

compatible with 2.0, including 3.0* and 3.1*).

*See last note in this section

Q:How quickly does the X5 transfer songs?

A:This is dependent on the size of files / songs transferred; average read / write

speeds are about 4.5MB/s.

Q:Is a driver required for connecting the X5?

A:No driver is required for transferring songs (using Storage mode); a driver

installation is required the first time the X5 is connected as a USB DAC.

Q:Does the X5 support Linux or (insert OS name here)?

A:Theoretically all OSes supporting USB Mass Storage are supported, but we

cannot guarantee support through actual testing of all the various OSes out

there.

Q:Why is my X5 not recognized through a USB3 port or on Windows 8?

A:USB3 ports and Windows 8 are new standards; although they are theoretically

backwards compatible with previous standards, in practise devices may need to

be optimized for forward compatibility with these new standards and as such

the X5 may not be recognized through some USB3 ports or on some Windows

8 computers. We will remedy the situation as soon as possible through

firmware upgrades. If you run into such problems in the meantime, the

temporary solution in the meantime is to transfer through USB2.0 ports and

Windows 7 / Windows XP. If these options are not available you may transfer

through a supported card reader before transferring the card to the X5.

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3)Firmware upgradesQ:How to know what firmware version is on my X5 and what is the newest

version?

A:The current firmware version can be viewed via System Settings->About X5.

All firmware versions may be downloaded via http://www.fiio.net/support/

download.aspx.

Q:How to update the X5 firmware?

A:Please refer to Section C. Firmware Update in this user manual.

Q:Is it possible to brick the X5 while upgrading the firmware? What to do if

my X5 is bricked?

A:It should not be possible to brick the X5 in the normal course of upgrading its

firmware. If you somehow manage to brick it, please contact us via

support@fiio.net and we can instruct you on how to unbrick it.

4)StorageQ:What cards does the X5 support?

A:The X5 supports TF cards (also known as micro SD cards), including SDHC and

SDXC.

Q:Is the X5 picky about cards?

A:The X5 has been tested to support major brands such as Sandisk and Kingston

very well. It is beyond our ability to test every other brand out there, but any

genuine card from a semi-reputable brand should work with the X5. To prevent

slow card speeds causing the X5 to stall while playing or be unable to play high

bitrate lossless tracks (such as 192kHz/24bit APE files), please use TF cards of

Class 6 or above.

Q:What size of cards does the X5 support?

A:The X5 is currently tested to support cards up to 128GB. It is recommended to

format the cards in FAT32 format.

Q:How to format the TF card into FAT32 format?

A:Simply insert the card into a slot in the X5, go to System Settings->Format,

select the slot of the card to be formatted, press OK to select and OK again to

confirm formatting the card to FAT32 format. Warning: all data and existing

songs on the card will be deleted, please make backups on your computer first

as necessary.

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Q:Nothing from the TF card shows on the X5?

A:

1.Play by Category will not show any songs from a card unless and until a media

library update has been performed. Go to System Settings->Update Media Lib,

press OK to perform a manual media library update. Or use Browse Files and

select the corresponding TF card slot to confirm that the files on your card are

recognized by the X5.

2.If neither of the above works to show you the songs on your card:

i.Go to System Settings->About X5 and check that the Available Capacity of the

TF card you inserted is shown correctly (comparing it to the info shown on your

computer); if not, try formatting the card using the X5 and putting your files

back on the card;

ii.If this does not help, you may try formatting the card into NTFS format using

Windows;

iii.If none of the above helps, it is recommended that you try another card with

the X5.

Q:Some songs on the TF card don’t show on the X5?

A:

1.Have you performed a media library update after you last loaded songs onto

the card? Go to System Settings->Update Media Lib, press OK to perform a

manual media library update.

2.If songs are still missing (or if they don’t appear even in Browse Files), try

updating the X5 to the latest firmware.

3.After updating to the latest firmware, try updating the media library again.

Q:Does the X5 support NTFS format?

A:Yes, but only FAT32 format cards can be used for firmware upgrades.

Q:How to delete X5’s media library database file?

A:Eject all TF cards (and any OTG storage) from the X5 before updating the

media library. The X5 will delete the media library database file automatically.

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5)Music playbackQ:Why would some mp3s not play?

A:The X5 does not play some mp3 files with low bitrate or sample rate,

specifically sample rates under 32kHz and bit depths of 8bit and under are not

fully supported.

Q:Why does my .wav files not play?

A:Please check using Foobar2000 or other capable software on the computer to

see whether the wave file is actually DTS or Dolby encoded multichannel audio,

or perhaps a wave file of bit depth over 24 bits (32bit and 64bit files are not

always supported).

Q:Why does my .ape files not play?

A:APE comes in 5 levels of compression, including Fast, Normal, High, Extra High

and Insane. Extra High and Insane encoded APEs are not supported while High

encoded APEs are only supported at 96kHz/24bit or below.

Q:Does the X5 support cue sheets?

A:The X5 supports external cue sheets for identifying and playing a cue’d music

file as separate tracks.

Q:Why is my cue sheet not supported?

A:Embedded cue sheets are not supported. Also please make sure that the .

cue file is named the same as the music file that it cues.

Q:Why do my lyrics not show?

A:The X5 only supports external .lrc files, named after the music file it lyricizes.

Q:Why am I seeing rubbish characters?

A:The X5 supports ANSI, Unicode and UTF-8 (with or without BOM) encodings

for both .cue sheets and lyrics. However, since ANSI text files do not declare the

particular code page with which they are encoded, this may not be detected

correctly by the X5 and rubbish characters may show. If this happens, you may

consider converting your ANSI coded cue sheets and lyrics into Unicode or

UTF-8 using a text editor after manually selecting the correct code page.

Q:Why do my new songs not appear under any Category?

A:Please go to System Settings->Update Media Lib and press OK to update the

media library for new songs to be indexed under Play by Category. You may

also press Previous or Next to set Update Media Lib to Auto.

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6)Other operations

Q:Why is the X5 sometimes sluggish in responding?

A:

1.High bitrate lossless tracks, particularly 192kHz/24bit APEs, take more system

resources to decode, possibly causing slowdowns in the player UI. You may

convert such APEs to FLACs or uncompressed WAVs using programs such as

foobar2000 on the computer first to make it easier on the player. The sound

quality will be the same.

2.Placing too many songs on the X5 may also contribute to slowdowns. Please

limit the number of songs on the X5’s TF cards where possible.

3.Placing non-music related files on X5’s TF cards, such as videos and pictures,

may cause the X5 to slow down while sifting through them looking for music

files. It is recommended to dedicate TF cards on the X5 to music.

4.Playing high bitrate files from slow TF cards may cause stuttering. Class 6 or

above genuine microSD cards are recommended.

5.Unpredictable ordering of files, such as placing several .ape and .cue files in the

same directory. The following directory structure is recommended: create

separate folders for albums by the same artist, and open subfolders within each

artist folder to hold single albums in separate subfolders.

6.A mixture of music files of several different codecs and sample rates may also

slow down the player. It is recommended to place files of different codecs and

sample rates into separate folders and to play files of the same type in sequence

from these folders, to prevent the X5 from having to switch between different

decoders frequently.

Q:Why does the X5 get a bit hot in operation?

A:The X5 utilizes an SoC with dual cores and high clock speed, a separate DAC,

and (also separately) a high power headphone amplifier, thus dissipating way

more power than consumer DAPs typically performing computation, DAC and

amplification all on the SoC. Apart from outputting more power to your

headphones, a lot of this power is also dissipated as heat, thus causing the X5 to

heat up slightly in operation; this does not endanger the X5 or the listener in

any way.

Q:Why does no sound play from the X5 after disconnecting the X5 in

USB DAC mode while it is decoding?

A:Disconnecting the X5 while it is decoding is an “unclean” removal of a USB

device, bound to leave some residual abnormalities. Please turn the X5 off and

on again to continue enjoying your music.

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Q:Why does the X5 make a clicking sound when turning on / off and when

headphones are inserted / removed?

A:The X5’s headphone output goes through a relay to the headphone output.

The relay disengages briefly when the X5 is turning on and off and when

headphones are connected / disconnected from the X5, thus isolating

headphones from potentially dangerous transient pops when the amplifier

section is powered on and off. The relay is a mechanical connection that makes

a small clicking sound when engaging / disengaging.

7)Connection with other audio equipmentQ:How to connect the X5’s line out to other audio equipment?

A:The X5’s line out outputs an unamplified signal to e.g. amplifiers, receivers,

headphone amplifiers, car audio inputs, etc. The fact that it’s an “unamplified

signal” can be misleading however. The line level signal of the X5 is of a higher

voltage than the headphone out at all but the highest volumes and can damage

headphones if you connect them directly to the line out. Please keep the line

out port covered (e.g. using the provided silicone case or port covers) when not

in use to prevent accidental insertion.

Also, some audio equipment (e.g. car audio receivers) cannot handle a high line

input voltage and will distort when connected to the X5’s line out. If you find

this to be the case, you may try connecting it to the X5’s headphone out

instead and adjust the X5’s volume to a suitable level for output to your audio

equipment.

Q:How to connect the X5’s “Coax out” to other audio equipment?

A:X5’s “Coax out” outputs an S/PDIF compliant coaxial digital audio signal,

and may be connected to decoders, DACs, receivers etc. with S/PDIF coaxial

input ports using regular 75ohm coaxial RCA cables via the provided 3.5mm-RCA

adapter.